British mentalist and illusionist Derren Brown will feature in a forthcoming episode of The Simpsons, which is being called “one of the largest guest starring roles” in the history of the show.
This December will mark 35 years since the show began and to mark the occasion they will air a special two-part Christmas special on the exact same date the show aired in 1989.
On 17 December, Disney+ will premiere “O C’Mon All Ye Faithful” which will see Homer become convinced that he is Santa Claus after being hypnotised by Brown, who appears as himself in the episode.
Speaking about appearing in the episode, Brown called it “the best thing that’s happened in my life so far”. The 53-year-old added: “I had just started writing Only Human, my new touring show, when the call came in. I was asked to keep it very quiet for the time being, so I immediately told everyone I met.
“I did wonder if it meant I had reached a level of such stratospheric success that I no longer needed to write the new show, but I have been politely assured that is not the case. I’m not against stepping out on stage with bright yellow make-up.”
Carolyn Omine, who works as a writer on The Simpsons, said: “In terms of lines and screen time it is probably one of the largest guest starring roles we’ve ever had, and he is fantastic, charming and very funny in the episode.”
The first ever Simpsons episode was also a Christmas special, called “Simpsons Roasting on An Open Fire,” and was an immediate success, earning two Emmy nominations the following year.
This comes just days after it was announced that Pamela Hayden would be retiring from the hit Fox sitcom after 35 years.
Hayden, who’s credited for featuring in nearly 700 episodes of the long-running animated series, is best known as the voice behind Bart Simpson’s bespectacled friend Milhouse Van Houten; however, she’s also played dozens of other characters, including Jimbo Jones, Rod Flanders and Malibu Stacy.
Her final episode, “Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes”, will air on Sunday (November 24).
“The time has come for me to hang up my microphone, but how do I say goodbye to The Simpsons? Not easily,” Hayden, 70, said in a statement. “It’s been an honour and a joy to have worked on such a funny, witty, and groundbreaking show. … I’ll always have a special place in my heart for that blue-haired 10-year-old boy with glasses.”
The Simpsons will begin the search for Hayden’s replacement in the near future, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
